Cookware handle holder

ABSTRACT

A holder or handgrip for elongated metal cookware handles that become hot during stove top or oven use is provided. The inventive cookware handle holder is easily slipped over and removed from cookware handles, is suitable for use with a wide range of handle shapes and sizes, offers heat and flame resistance, as well as, improved compressibility and, in a preferred embodiment, further offers an improved gripping surface and improved slip and skid resistance.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a holder or handgrip forelongated metal cookware handles that become hot during stove top oroven use. The inventive cookware handle holder is easily slipped overand removed from cookware handles, is suitable for use with a wide rangeof handle shapes and sizes, offers heat and flame resistance, as wellas, improved compressibility and, in a preferred embodiment, furtheroffers an improved gripping surface and improved slip and skidresistance.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Cookware used in restaurants and food service establishments invariablyinclude metal handles, where phenolic handles simply do not stand up tothe rough usage in a commercial kitchen environment. Over the course ofthe last several years, consumers have been demanding, and cookwaremanufacturers have been providing, such commercial or gourmet stylecookware for the home kitchen. In view of the handling difficultiespresented by metal handles, there is a need for an insulated handleholder or handgrip that enables these cookware handles to be safelyhandled by human hands during the cooking process.

The above-referenced need has been partially addressed by the hand gripdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,611 to Bell et al. The hand gripdisclosed in this reference is made of a silicone rubber material and isadapted to be placed over the metal handles of commercial grade cookingutensils such as pots and fry pans. The hand grip has a generallyrectangular opening 20 and reportedly conforms to the shape ofsubstantially flat or wide V-shaped handles (see col. 1, lines 60 to 63,of U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,611 to Bell et al.). A series of successivegrooves 38 are formed in the inner wall surfaces of the hand grip forreducing thermal conduction, and a plurality of external ribs 16 extendaxially along the outer surface of the hand grip to provide a bettergripping surface for the user.

In practice, the hand grip disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,611 to Bellet al. is very difficult to remove from a cookware handle. This is duein part to the generally rectangular cross-sectional shape of the handgrip, which closely approximates the shape of the substantially flat orwide V-shaped handles of select commercial grade cooking utensils. Inaddition, this hand grip is unsuitable for use with cookware handleshaving, for example, round or oval cross-sectional shapes.

A need therefore continues to exist for an easily removable cookwarehandle holder or handgrip that is suitable for use with a wide range ofhandle shapes and sizes.

The present invention addresses this need by providing an easilyinstalled and removed (and thus easily transferable) cookware handleholder or handgrip that fits over a wide range of long metal (e.g.,iron, cast-iron, stainless steel, aluminum) handles of cooking pans suchas saucepans and frying pans, which comprises an elongated hollowtubular structure having an open end and an opposing closed end, asubstantially oval or elliptical cross-sectional shape, and indentedside wall portions.

In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of raised areas are provided onopposing outer surfaces of the inventive cookware handle holder orhandgrip for improved gripability, while a plurality of ridges or ribsare provided on opposing inner surfaces of the inventive holder orhandgrip for improved slip and skid resistance.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to oneof ordinary skill from the following detailed description andaccompanying drawings.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. All publications, patentapplications, patents and other references mentioned herein areincorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, thepresent specification, including definitions, will control. In addition,the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and notintended to be limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Particular features of the disclosed invention are illustrated byreference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a more preferred embodiment of thecookware handle holder of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side plan view of the inventive cookware handle holder shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a closed end of the inventive cookware handleholder shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an opposing and open end of the inventivecookware handle holder shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The cookware handle holder of the present invention, which offers heatand flame resistance and improved compressibility, is designed toaccommodate a wide range of handle shapes and sizes, and offers thefurther advantage of being easily installed on and removed from cookwarehandles and thus easily transferred from one cooking vessel to another.Moreover, the inventive cookware handle holder is prepared from amaterial that conforms to all applicable Federal Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) requirements.

As noted above, the inventive cookware handle holder comprises anelongated hollow tubular structure having an open end and an opposingclosed end, a substantially oval or elliptical cross-sectional shape,and indented side wall portions. The substantially oval or ellipticalcross-sectional shape allows the inventive holder to accommodate a widerange of handle shapes and sizes (e.g., round, oval, flat, V-shapedcookware handles), while the indented side wall portions allow for theholder to be easily compressed (and thus easily held in place on thecookware handle) by the user.

In practice, the inventive holder may be left on a cookware handle asthe cookware is heated on an open burner or on a shelf in an oven, ormay be used only when it is necessary to move the cookware. Compressiveforce exerted by the user when moving the cookware holds the inventiveholder security in place. Once the compressive force is released, theinventive holder may be easily removed from the cookware handle and slidonto the handle of another piece of cookware. The subject invention maytherefore be safely and effectively used with numerous pieces ofcookware during each cooking session.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, a more preferred embodiment ofthe cookware handle holder of the present invention is shown generallyat 10, and basically comprises: an elongated hollow tubular structure 12having an open end 14 and a closed end 16, an upper wall portion 18having outer and inner surfaces 20, 22, a lower wall portion 24 havingouter and inner surfaces 26, 28, and indented side wall portions 30, 32.

As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the inventive cookware handle holder 10has a substantially oval or elliptical cross-sectional shape, whichallows it to accommodate a wide range of handle shapes and sizesincluding round, oval, flat, and V-shaped cookware handles. The indentedside wall portions 30, 32 allow a user to more easily compress holder 10around a metal cookware handle.

In the more preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, a plurality ofaxial ridges or ribs 34 are provided on the inner surfaces 22, 28 of theupper and lower wall portions 18, 24 of holder 10. These ridges or ribs34, which extend from the open end 14 to the closed end 16 of holder 10,provide improved slip and skid resistance, thereby reducing risk ofinjury to the user.

A plurality of raised areas are formed on the outer surfaces 20, 26 ofthe upper and lower wall portions 18, 24 of this more preferredembodiment of holder 10. The size, shape and spacing of these raisedareas, which allow for better gripping ability on the part of the user,are not limited. In the more preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4,the raised areas are in the form of raised dots 36, which mirror thesurface appearance of Applicant's related products, which constitutesApplicant's protectable trade dress.

The open end 14 of inventive holder 10 may be acutely angled relative toa vertical plane. For cookware having angled side walls, open end 14 maytherefore be closely abutted to the angled side walls, therebypreventing the hand of the user from accidentally contacting the metalhandle.

In the more preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, both ends 14,16 of holder 10 are acutely angled relative to a vertical plane,providing holder 10 with an aesthetically pleasing appearance, with theangled open end 14 being provided with an opening 38 for hanging theholder 10 when not in use.

The length of the more preferred embodiment of the inventive cookwarehandle holder shown in the drawings preferably ranges from about 15.0 toabout 15.5 centimeters (cm) (more preferably, from about 15.2 to about15.4 cm). The width of holder 10 preferably ranges from about 44 toabout 47 millimeters (mm) (more preferably, from about 45 to about 46mm), while the height of holder 10 preferably ranges from about 32.5 toabout 37 mm (more preferably, from about 32.5 to about 36.5 mm). Thethickness of the walls forming holder 10 preferably ranges from about3.5 to about 7.5 mm (more preferably, from about 3.6 to about 7.0 mm).

As alluded to above, the cookware handle holder or handgrip of thepresent invention is prepared from a heat and flame resistant material.Suitable heat and flame resistant materials include, but are not limitedto, curable silicone compositions that, upon cure, demonstrate heat andflame resistance.

Examples of curable silicone compositions include, but are not limitedto, hydrosilylation-curable silicone compositions, peroxide curablesilicone compositions, condensation-curable silicone compositions,epoxy-curable silicone compositions, ultraviolet radiation-curablesilicone compositions, and high-energy radiation-curable siliconecompositions.

The term “heat resistance”, as used herein, is intended to mean thatholder 10 will remain flexible, resilient and pliable for applicationswith continuous use temperatures not exceeding 357° C. (675° F.), whilethe term “flame resistance”, as used herein, is intended to mean thatflaming combustion is slowed, terminated, or prevented by holder 10 forapplications with continuous use temperatures not exceeding 357° C.

Inventive cookware handle or handgrip 10 can be prepared by convertingthe above-referenced curable silicone composition into the desired shapeby conventional methods, such as compression molding, injection molding,extrusion, and calendaring; and then curing the composition. As usedherein, the term “curing” means the conversion of a liquid or semisolidcomposition to a cross-linked product. In a preferred embodiment, theinventive handle or handgrip 10 is prepared by compression molding.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it should be understood that they have been presented by way ofexample only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of thepresent invention should not be limited by any of the exemplaryembodiments.

1. A cookware handle holder that fits over metal cookware handles andthat comprises: an elongated hollow tubular structure having an open endand an opposing closed end, a substantially oval or ellipticalcross-sectional shape, and indented side wall portions.
 2. The cookwarehandle holder of claim 1, which is prepared using a curable siliconecomposition that, upon cure, demonstrates heat and flame resistance. 3.A cookware handle holder that fits over metal cookware handles and thatcomprises: an elongated hollow tubular structure having an open end andan opposing closed end, a substantially oval or ellipticalcross-sectional shape, an upper wall portion having outer and innersurfaces, a lower wall portion having outer and inner surfaces, andindented side wall portions.
 4. The cookware handle holder of claim 3,which further comprises a plurality of axial ridges or ribs provided onthe inner surfaces of the upper and lower wall portions of the elongatedhollow tubular structure.
 5. The cookware handle holder of claim 3,which further comprises a plurality of raised areas provided on theouter surfaces of the upper and lower wall portions of the elongatedhollow tubular structure.
 6. The cookware handle holder of claim 5,wherein the raised areas are in the form of raised dots.
 7. The cookwarehandle holder of claim 3, wherein the open and closed ends of theelongated hollow tubular structure are angled acutely relative to avertical plane.
 8. The cookware handle holder of claim 3, which isprepared using a curable silicone composition that, upon cure,demonstrates heat and flame resistance.
 9. A cookware handle holder thatfits over metal cookware handles and that comprises: an elongated hollowtubular structure having an open end and an opposing closed end, asubstantially oval or elliptical cross-sectional shape, an upper wallportion having outer and inner surfaces, a lower wall portion havingouter and inner surfaces, indented side wall portions, a plurality ofaxial ridges or ribs provided on the inner surfaces of the upper andlower wall portions, and a plurality of raised areas provided on theouter surfaces of the upper and lower wall portions.
 10. The cookwarehandle holder of claim 9, wherein the raised areas provided on the outersurfaces of the upper and lower wall portions of the elongated hollowtubular structure are in the form of raised dots.
 11. The cookwarehandle holder of claim 9, wherein the open and closed ends of theelongated hollow tubular structure are angled acutely relative to avertical plane.
 12. The cookware handle holder of claim 9, which isprepared using a curable silicone composition that, upon cure,demonstrates heat and flame resistance.